My God, Is The Cancer Rate In This Country High Or Is It Me?

[Tokay]

It seems every Thai death I hear of, other than a vehicle accident or murder, is cancer related.

I have not checked Thailand's cancer rates, but the amount of people I hear of who die of cancer is alarming.

Something in the water, or is it the cheap cigs they all smoke?

[londonthai]

msg in the food, overuse of salt (mainly from the fish souse), meat + overuse of antibiotics, steroids and all sorts of potent drugs bought over the counter and taken at will

[Maigo6]

In the Western world nobody ever dies of Cancer....

What is wrong with these Thai people, why can't they be more like us ?

BTW..... 1 in 4 deaths in the USA are due to Cancer.

Edited January 2, 2010 by Maigo6

[IanForbes]

Maybe it is just the circle of people you know. I don't hear of deaths in Thailand other than the violent ones in the news. However, I used to live in a small town called Squamish in Howe Sound, British Columbia. There was a chemical plant and a pulp mill in the narrow inlet next to the town. There was no place for the fumes to go if there was a temperature inversion. It seemed like there was an un-natural number of cancer deaths in the town. I lost at least 5 personal friends in Squamish due to cancer over a 4 year period. And, information from my wife and her friends who were nurses at the local hospital, there were lots more with cancer in that town.

[473geo]

In the Western world nobody ever dies of Cancer....

What is wrong with these Thai people, why can't they be more like us ?

BTW..... 1 in 4 deaths in the USA are due to Cancer.

Brother in law 30 years old

Aunt 45 years old

Mother 67 years old

Brother in law 55 years old

Uncle 70 years old

Uncle 62 years old

it happens.....

[cognos]

..all of the above...plus they use aluminum pots and scrape them with metal utensils, so you are ingesting aluminum nit noi at every meal....mmmmm, yummy..it adds up

there have been several cancer deaths in my wife's family as well

[cognos]

..and when all 3 meals a day in LOS are what us farang would call "dinner" type meals in the west..more cooking with those cheap aluminum pots

signed: no simple cereal or blender fruit shakes in the morning for Thais

[Tokay]

Maybe it is just the circle of people you know.

Could be.

What is wrong with these Thai people, why can't they be more like us ?

Now THAT is the question to be asking. It would make my life a hel_l of a lot easier.

[Tokay]

I used to live in a small town called Squamish in Howe Sound, British Columbia. There was a chemical plant and a pulp mill in the narrow inlet next to the town. There was no place for the fumes to go if there was a temperature inversion. It seemed like there was an un-natural number of cancer deaths in the town. I lost at least 5 personal friends in Squamish due to cancer over a 4 year period. And, information from my wife and her friends who were nurses at the local hospital, there were lots more with cancer in that town.

Sorry to hear that. Be lucky you got out of Squamish.

I've heard Rayong has the same problem. I have nothing to back that up, it's just been told to me repeatedly over the years.

[Tokay]

there have been several cancer deaths in my wife's family as well

All the Thais I know had family members dropping like flies from cancer over this past year. Normally I wouldn't think much of it, as many die from cancer all around the world, but every one of these people... cancer. All from various areas of Issan.

I'm sure there are a 100 reasons, just wasn't sure if any of you old timers knew something I didn't.

[Maigo6]

..and when all 3 meals a day in LOS are what us farang would call "dinner" type meals in the west..more cooking with those cheap aluminum pots

signed: no simple cereal or blender fruit shakes in the morning for Thais

So you're saying that Thai people are giving themselves cancer via the cooking utensils they use ?

I was in Pattaya last week and saw an American family waddling down the road, the girl must have been 90 Kgs and was probably aged 13 years, Mother and Father the same, Obese.

What is that down to, pure gluttony ? You think that young girl wants to look like a hippo ?

Now, I know this forum tends to Thai Bash at any given opportunity, but this is totaly insane !!!!

So not only are they the worlds worst drivers, the worlds most violent devious people, the laziest , stupidest uneducated drunken layabouts, now they invite cancer upon themselves with gay abandon.........

ThaiVisa Thailand experts, you have to love them.

[Steps]

The re-use of cooking oil will be a factor in the incidence of cancer. Cooking oil used by restaurants and street vendors is used and re-used which creates a build up of toxins in the oil. These toxins are bad for the body's cells and will damage, kill and hinder the rebuilding of new cells and tissue during repair and growth. The purpose of re-use is to save money and i highly doubt that the cooks have any idea about the deteriorating quality after a certain period. Education is the only way to solve this problem. I am sure the top restaurants do not overuse cooking oil.

Also i have come across 3 cases were people have been caught throwing chemicals into the water to kill the fish in order to catch them for sale to street vendors ext. The fish rise to the top of the water and are scooped up in a net. These chemicals used in the water are obviously not nutrients and will also be harmful to humans which may trigger cancer. If you do a search, I'm sure you will come across such cases. Furthermore, the use and overuse of pesticides and chemicals on fruit and vegetables may cause cancer and i highly doubt that a lot of these street vendors wash the veg ext.

There will be many other causes such as factories dumping waste into waterways, air pollution to name a few.

[JR Texas]

I agree about the water..........it is foul to say the least.

Thailand is the most polluted country I have ever lived in.........air, water, soil.......the farmers put enormous amounts of toxic pesticides on crops, and then people eat them.

This fact alone makes me wonder why any retiree would want to retire here, especially if they are concerned about health.

The air in many places like Jomtien-Pattaya, Chiang Mai and especially Bangkok is totally horrendous. You are breathing toxic stuff daily if you live there.

And smoking is endemic.

It would not surprise me at all to discover that Thailand has one of the highest cancer rates in the world. How could it be otherwise?

But you would never see that in official statistics because those are all manipulated to make things seem better than they are.

[SantiSuk]

When I picked up a parasite here recently I read on some web-site that 19 million people in Isaan have a latent parasite picked up from uncooked fish (Laap plaa, somtam palaar) - which was probably my source - or vegetables grown in the margins of some water-course (morning glory etc) and not cooked.

I didn't know there were 19 million people in Isaan incidentally.

Parasites are latent because you get sick for maybe a month then the symptoms get better or are alleviated by some wrongly (self?) prescribed antibiotic, but you are by no means cured. The little b%ggers inhabit places like your bile duct and your gall bladder and come back later to give you .... you guessed it - Cancer.

Needless to say I am now nowhere near as cavalier in my eating habits as I was.

[wasabi]

I agree about the water..........it is foul to say the least.

Thailand is the most polluted country I have ever lived in.........air, water, soil.......the farmers put enormous amounts of toxic pesticides on crops, and then people eat them.

This fact alone makes me wonder why any retiree would want to retire here, especially if they are concerned about health.

The air in many places like Jomtien-Pattaya, Chiang Mai and especially Bangkok is totally horrendous. You are breathing toxic stuff daily if you live there.

And smoking is endemic.

It would not surprise me at all to discover that Thailand has one of the highest cancer rates in the world. How could it be otherwise?

But you would never see that in official statistics because those are all manipulated to make things seem better than they are.

I've heard BKK called 'Big Smoke' It and many other cities are atrociously polluted. This has to have negative health effects all around. I think if I retire in Thailand it will be Hua Hin or Phuket which seem to be a little less polluted. Thailand could be a really great country if they got into wind energy, improved auto emissions and the cleanliness of water.

[fullwhenempty]

Wind farms are very inefficent and require more energy than they provide to produce it.

Causes of cancer are many-fold but Thailand used to be very low down the list until capitalism came to town. Thais traditionally ate lots of bitter and raw herbs which kept the liver leaping like a salmon. Now they suffer the same problems as we do, in fact all countries do, when they abandon traditional diets.

Trans fats, refined oils, fake sugars, acid-forming foods, pesticides. Any food that is manufactured industrially is 'food' in name only. Until people get this, they will remain sick.

There are some protectives which can mitigate the risks. Good old garlic, turmeric, neem and apple cider vinegar are all on my list of daily supplements.

[givenall]

It is so funny to read all these posts. We have found the cause and cure for Cancer.

Not all nations will or should become like US and/or Europe.

It is may the westerner have higher survival cancer rate because they Medical system is much better although very expensive is more accessible to most

[geriatrickid]

There are two distinct issues at work here;

The contributing factors, which have all been highlighted and the treatment factors.

For the vast majority of cancer patients in Thailand, there is little effective treatment available. If you are poor or live in a rural area you are as good as dead. Those that survive, have families that can drive them to the treatment centers and care for them when they are recovering etc. There are no Gilda Houses, or Ronald McDonald Houses here. There are no womens organizations promoting breast cancer awareness. When's the last time you saw anyone in the workplace sporting a pink ribbon on breast cancer day? Cancer treatment is expensive and most of the population can't afford it. The state of the art drugs available in the west are not often available here because of Thailand's inability to respect pharmaceutical intellectual property laws. When's the last time you saw any promotional campaigns about breast cancer? colon rectal cancer? prostate cancer? Prevention is practically non existent here.

The treatment and prevention approach of Thailand means that people are morel likely to die of cancer, whereas in many western countries, patients are more likely to survive for longer when stricken with cancer and then die due to other causes such as heart disease or accident.

[Heng]

In my family we have a couple truckloads of 60-70 year old's waiting for their 85-90+ year old parents to kick the bucket. Not a single case of cancer as far as I know. Couple of cases of diabetes though.

I think what you have here is the type of conclusion that comes with mostly knowing people in the 70-80% of the population that doesn't get regular physical checkups. In other countries it might be only 50-60%? So when you get the bad health news, it's already too late. If your doctor tells you what your various liver/cholesterol/psa/etc. numbers are starting in your 30's, chances are you can curb a lot of the carcinogens out of your life before it's too late.

[mca]

I have to say that proportionately the amount of younger people in Thailand (say of high school/uni age) I've come across who've lost a parent through illness seems to me to be a lot higher than back home. I'm taking about parents in their 40s and early 50s.

[Heng]

The serving hot foods/soups in poor quality plastic bags probably doesn't help. A lot of indifference towards mold as well. ;-)

I'd guess that there is a lot of this type of 'slow poisoning' through ignorance going on.

[robblok]

So you're saying that Thai people are giving themselves cancer via the cooking utensils they use ?

I was in Pattaya last week and saw an American family waddling down the road, the girl must have been 90 Kgs and was probably aged 13 years, Mother and Father the same, Obese.

What is that down to, pure gluttony ? You think that young girl wants to look like a hippo ?

Now, I know this forum tends to Thai Bash at any given opportunity, but this is totaly insane !!!!

So not only are they the worlds worst drivers, the worlds most violent devious people, the laziest , stupidest uneducated drunken layabouts, now they invite cancer upon themselves with gay abandon.........

ThaiVisa Thailand experts, you have to love them.

Mai go6

I must say its a legitimate question, like someone else suggested some places have high cancer rates because of chemical plants and such. It might be that here the rate is higher because of the fact there are not too many regulations about exhaust fumes of plants. If this is the case ppl should ask themselves if they want to live here because it increases the risk. I dont see the question as a way to bash Thai, more as checking out what is the problem and if we can avoid it.

Maybe you see too much in certain posts, same like your example of those fat Americans they could get diabetes.. better not say it because it might hurt American sensibilities ?

[ronz28]

I worked at a jet engine & rocket manufacturer in Florida for a few years and it was found that they were dumping or leaking into the groundwater barrels of solvent and degreasers used to clean engine parts. The chemicals got into the underground water supply and contaminated 4 of 7 water wells that were in use. It wasn't discovered until researchers worked to identify the cause of the the clusters of cancer deaths occurring in workers at the plant. Here is a site sharing information on the matter http://www.theacreagecancerstudy.com/links.htm

I have heard of similar cancer clusters near air force bases in the U.S. but also in locations like Houston were there is a concentration of chemical companies and infamously lax Texas state enforcement of pollution laws.

Cancer maps show where the cancer rates are high and its usually around chemical plants like around Houston. Has anyone come across a cancer map of Thailand? The US military has spent a lot of money cleaning up sites they previously polluted in the US and perhaps Thailand should test its water supply around old US Bases to see if its polluted. However the Thais may have continued the same bad practices that caused pollution around American Air Force Bases. A list of the chemicals to test for that were found at the Florida engine manufacturer is shown on the above website.

I suspect these bad pollution practices are not limited to American industry but are a universal result of cutting expenses without concern for pollution that causes cancer.

I don't know what you can do in Thailand except to filter all your drinking water twice especially if you live near a chemical plant, military airbase or an airport and even then I don't know if the filters would be effective against those carcinogens.

[Phil Conners]

No wonder if they have many lung cancer cases with the way most seem to smoke like chimneys.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

a lot of factors at play.

As some have mentioned parasites are common in some parts of Thailand and highly correlated to liver cancers. Helicobacter pylori is very common source of stomach ulcers and resulting stomach cancers in SEA. Sources of hepatitis in China for example have the PRC as one of the highest rates of liver cancer in the world. As a country develops then they have to work to improve hygene and prevention thru education and behavior modification.

One of the major causes of Cervical cancer is the Human Papiloma virus (HPV) and vaccines are just being developed now and barely available in Thailand and still too expensive for most people.

Other types of cancers can be increasing due to introduction of man made toxins like pesticides and industrial chemicals as well as more disposable income to buy cigarettes and alcohol both of which are highly correlated to cancer.

Throw into the mix that as a population average lifespan increases as Thailands has rapidly increased in the last 20 years then more people are living long enough to get cancer. Live long enough and odds jump exponentially that a cancer will occur. If your a male and live to your 90's then something like a 90% chance of developing prostate cancer.

it's far from simple and really has to be looked at by specific cancer type.

[toptuan]

Maybe it is just the circle of people you know. I don't hear of deaths in Thailand other than the violent ones in the news. However, I used to live in a small town called Squamish in Howe Sound, British Columbia. There was a chemical plant and a pulp mill in the narrow inlet next to the town. There was no place for the fumes to go if there was a temperature inversion. It seemed like there was an un-natural number of cancer deaths in the town. I lost at least 5 personal friends in Squamish due to cancer over a 4 year period. And, information from my wife and her friends who were nurses at the local hospital, there were lots more with cancer in that town.

At least you had that spectacular big rock to look at! :-)

Whistler Enthusiast,

TT

[toptuan]

Yes, several years ago I also noticed that I seem to hear a lot more about cancer deaths around me here in Thailand much more than back in my home country.

I continually hear a great deal from local farmers (70 km. downstream from KK on the Chi River) about continual releases of toxic chemicals from industrial plants in KK which regularly kills nearly all the fish in the river. Many of them have fish farms, and thus plenty to complain about.

In 2006, I was in touch with a peace-corp-type worker from the USA who came to do a temporary social improvement project (I forgot the particulars) in Khon Kaen. She told me that the research has established Khon Kaen as having the world's highest incidence of cancer deaths for any city. She suspects mostly from chemical/toxic pollutants in the water and food chain.

Some sobering thoughts.

[teatree]

Cases of cancer are up dramatically worldwide, not only in Thailand. Environmental pollution, food additives like MSG and aspartame, and a lack of nutrition are the most likely causes.

[Maizefarmer]

Heart diesese and cancer are Thailands 2 biggest killers.

[Tokay]

Some good posts in here, things I didn't think about.

Thanks for the replies. Now my head is spinning.